Contrived chick romance novel about three friends who rent a beachside home in the Outer Banks. Enjoyable, yet unbelievable.

Great for what it is - light, beach reading. The mystery plot was stupid and could have been left out but everything else was perfectly enjoyable. ( )

I've actually had this book since April. Like many reviewers, I tend to have a shelf full of books waiting to be read. It looked like a good book; I just never got around to it. My books are somewhat in the order in which I received them, but sometimes I want to read a book on my personal TBR list or I need to switch to a new genre for a break or a book just looks really interesting and I move other stuff back.

At the library one day, I was checking out the Bestsellers list while waiting in line and saw that Summer Rental was #14 (it eventually made it all the way to #5) and decided that it should be the next book I read. That was a couple weeks ago. I'm a bit behind on reviews.

Yes, there was a point to all that rambling. (Sort of.) I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this book! Summer Rental is a story of three childhood friends, now in their early 30's, who rent a house together for one month for some long-overdue girls-only time. Between the time Ellis, Julia, and Dorie plan the vacation and when it actually happens, the lives of all three women change and when they come together, they are all at a crossroad with heavy decisions to be made.

Then there's Ty, the cute guy next door who has some pretty serious problems of his own. Into the midst of all this upheaval (and a budding romance), comes Maryn. Her issues make the other problems look mild in comparison.

It's fun reading the interaction between life-long friends, and the banter between Ellis and Ty is so funny. Throughout the book, we get to watch as new friendships blossom, old ones are strengthened, and love sneaks up on two unsuspecting people.

Content warning: There is a flashback scene that includes incest and sex with children.

I won this book in a Goodreads First-Reads giveaway. ( )

I'm always a fan of Andrews. Enjoyed the storyline. ( )

I think the best thing about this book was its length!! I love a good book where I get into the characters, but most summer reads are too short! This one was longer and gave me many more days of enjoyment without dragging the story out too much! Great summer beach read (just wish it was summer and I was on a beach!) ( )